Title: Trouble in Mind by Michael Wiley
Sam Kelson Mystery Series Book One
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 224 pages
Book Rating: C+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
Introducing maverick Chicago private investigator Sam Kelson in the first of a hardhitting new crime noir series.
Sam Kelson is a PI like no other. As a consequence of being shot in the head while working undercover as a Chicago cop, he suffers from disinhibition: he cannot keep silent or tell lies when questioned. But truth be told – and Kelson always tells the truth – he still feels compelled to investigate and, despite the odds, he’s good at his job.
Hired by Trina Felbanks to investigate her pharmacist brother, whom she suspects is dealing drugs, Kelson arrives at Felbanks’ home to make a shocking discovery. Arrested on suspicion of murder, he makes an even more startling discovery concerning his client’s identity. Kelson would appear to have been set up … but by whom, and why?
As events spiral out of control and the body count rises, Kelson realizes he’s made a dangerously powerful enemy. Will he survive long enough to discover who has targeted him – and what it is they want?
Review:
The first installment in the Sam Kelson Mystery series, Trouble in Mind by Michael Wiley is an intriguing mystery.
Private Investigator Sam Kelson is a former narcotics officer whose career ended after taking a bullet to head. He continues to suffer from headaches from the injury and a condition known as disinhibition which leaves him unable to tell a lie or keep a secret. The condition also causes Sam to blurt out whatever he is thinking no matter how inappropriate his thoughts might be. Now divorced, he is a devoted dad to his eleven year old daughter Sue Ellen, who finds his disinhibition quite amusing.
Sam’s life takes a troubling turn when his newest client, Trina, hires him to convince her brother, pharmacist Christian Felbanks, to stop dealing the drugs he is filching from his employer. Sam discovers Christian’s lifeless body and homicide Detective Dan Peters arrests him for murder. Sam knows Trina has set him up, but will he found out who is behind the plot before it is too late?
Sam is a quirky character whose disinhibition manages to irritate just about everyone he meets. He also has a tendency to talk a lot which people tend to find distracting and downright annoying. Despite his propensity for rambling, Sam is a likable man who is a little clueless but quite tenacious as he tries to figure out who Trina is working for.
There are a surprising number of suspects who might have it in for Sam. First in line is the family of the teenager who died in the same shoot out in which Sam was shot. Next is a surprising connection between a real estate mogul and someone from Sam’s past. As the bodies begin to pile up, Sam remains Peters and his partner Venus Johnson’s main suspect. In order to get out from underneath the cloud of suspicion, Sam turns to a former police academy friend DeMarcus Rodman to help him uncover the truth about who is behind the deadly plot.
Trouble in Mind is a clever mystery with an eccentric cast of colorful characters. The storyline is engaging but the pacing is a little slow. With a few predictable twists, Michael Wiley brings this fascinating mystery to an over the top, slightly improbable conclusion.
Despite a bit of a bumpy beginning, I am looking forward to reading the next novel Sam Kelson Mystery series.
